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November 4, 2010

It's been...

We've been without TV for over three weeks now. We canceled our cable and haven't even tried to do the rabbit ears thing to get local channels or whatever (if you can even do that these days?).

It's been nice. It's been...

more quiet.

As much as I monitored the kids' tv-watching it was still on more than I'd like it to be. Even I would find myself stalking the time for when something I wanted to watch would be coming on. Now, there's no sense of urgency to get things done in time to watch a tv show.

And there's no commercials.

I'm embarrassed to admit oft-times I'd find we'd all dispersed into other rooms of the house. And now, as I type, we are all in the common area together being quizzed on social studies or eating a late dinner or wrestling or somersaulting between the couch and the coffee table. (I am doing none of those, I am sitting here writing and editing photos, trying not to be wrestled.)

This is not an anti-TV rant.

We do have the Internet. And you can watch pretty much whatever you want on the Internet. Just not as much (in our case) and it's nice.

It's more quiet.

And we do things we wouldn't do before, like visit the library for books and movies on DVD and music CDs. I used to watch stupid stuff while washing the dishes. Now I am listening to something new every day on my undercounter cd player. I even got some audio books. It's nice. And somehow, even though there is something going on in my ears, not having the visual all the time makes things seem more

quiet.

I ran my fingers down the stacks of plastic cases on the rotating rack. A man whispered obnoxiously to his friend at the row behind me and it made me laugh.

I remember when I could spend forever in used CD stores, looking for old imports, rare finds, my favorite bands even though I already had that album- I would be shocked someone sold it but at the same time happy that it was there for someone else to discover.

You can check out ten at a time and so this week I chose albums by The Weepies, Belle & Sebastian, Beastie Boys, Wilco, Erykah Badu, Ben Harper, Andrew Bird, The Beatles, and two by the Killers.

this was taken right at the moment I discovered my camera motor is dyyyyyying.sadface.

I took home-made (smashed by hand!) guacamole and tortilla soup to my grandparents today. It was so good. If I could remember how I made it I would totally share it. I kind of made it up as I went along. When we got home Gray and Ivy both asked for another bowl.

I am trying to take them a meal every week, and maybe more often soon, and don't want it to always be soup. Do you have some suggestions for good meal ideas I could take? Something that makes a large batch so I can have enough for our family, too? Have any favorite dish that's your thing?

Also, what is your favorite album or musician (of any genre/era) that I should look for at the library?

63 comments:

I'm just thankful to hear that someone else canceled their cable. We are in contract for another few months but after that I'm not sure the fees are justified. I could use that money for many other good things in the world.

I will think about some good recipes that make a bunch 'to share'. I love that you have your grandparents so close. That's the hardest part of my husband's job, we won't ever life that close. And there are so many times I'd love to have them live with us-but they'd miss their children (our parents, aunts and uncles). You are a great woman!

We've been without TV since June and I really haven't found myself even once thinking, I should go turn on the tv. It's nice. Of course, we still have the roku and DVDs, so it's not like the tv is never on...but it's more focused and easier to limit--and we save $60 a month!You should try shooting on manual until you get your camera fixed! I broke part of my lens so I had no choice, but it's not been as hard as I thought.

Last winter we literally put the tv in the closet... and it was incredible. We got it out when I was newly sober because I needed the help... I think it's time for it to go back in. Love the Weepies :) They're a new favorite here! And this is super yummy (made it tonight, I used to use ground beef/turkey, but now use tofu and it's just as good): http://mothering.com/recipes/tamale-pie-ii

Us too! we cut the cable in August. We had the dvr and everything. I thought it would be like withdrawing from a drug. and I felt bad for Amos, that he would miss having any one of his favorite pbs shows on demand. But it's been great! LESS tv, more sleep, more hanging out and creativity. And yes, that nagging feeling is gone. The one that nagged me to catch up with ALL of the recorded shows. There are times I See an ad for a show and wish I could record it, but i get past it and it's ok!! Congrats on cutting the cord. We do have rabbit ears on our tv upstairs which has been nice, having tv out of the living room but still being able to play dvds if needed. Th antenna works great and is good for football, The Office and the weather! We do have a subscription to Netflix too.As far as meals go, soup is a meal that is easy and cheap to make but can be stretched...like if you make soup for your family, you could take a portion of it to your grandparents. Also, lasagna is a favorite or spaghetti.Music to check out...we are SO into the Black Keys around here right now. The new album, Brothers, is so funky and awesome. Love it. Also I love Gillian Welch's Soul Journey. Love Wilco's Sky Blue Sky. I love the Sundays, too, although, not sure if you would see them at the library or not. Good luck and happy listening!!

Hi! I have several good recipes that are super easy and make a bunch. I will send them to your facebook inbox soon. :) I think it is so great that you are taking yoru grandparents food. I try to do that for my grandma when i can but we just don't live quite close enough to do it as much as I would like. Liz Yost

I find the quiet to be uncomfortably comforting. I have gotten used to noise. Noise from something always on in the background, even if not being watched.

When the tube is off, I can hear God better. I can hear me better. Know me better. And my kids.

And now you're really making me think about removing some tv's and cutting it off during the day. My husband would not at all be interested in losing it altogether but I have control over what happens during the day.

We take anything and everything to our friends who've had babies. My husband cooks, and hates bringing yet another lasagna. Once we brought fajitas over in about eight different tupperware boxes. But light food is good, especially with more elderly people. Aw, this makes me wish I could take food to my 93-year-old grandma, but sadly she lives in Germany. Once we took a ham over to some friends, kept the cut at part and took some over to them. Makes good leftovers for either party, and with mashed potatoes and green beans it's easy peasy. Then there are the obvious ones, chili (turkey is lighter), casseroles of all kinds. My husband makes this great pasta bake with tons of roasted veggies, jarred tomato sauce, fontina, smoked mozz and parmesan.

Awesome that you canceled cable. I admit if we did, I'd go through more withdrawal than the kids ;-)

Anyway, we had dinner weekly with my dh's granny this summer/fall (along with his cousins who live with her).

Manicotti is a nice one because you can make as much (or as little) as you need! We did meatloaf, spaghetti, some soup. Since there were so many of us (sometimes as many as 7 adults and 5 kids!) I always tried to bring salad, veggie, and bread/garlic bread - it helps the main course stretch a little bit more. I also have a few casserole dishes that I can easily double to feed an army when needed! You won't regret the time spent with them. Our granny is now in Florida for the winter. I miss our Thursdays with her. And when she comes back next spring/summer, we will definitely resume our weekly visits! =)

I throw chicken breast in crockpot and cook till they fall apart...add bbq sauce and you have meat for sandwiches. I always make a lot because it freezes well. I splurge on fresh bakery buns and add a veggie or salad and some fruit.

if you're looking for a good podcast, our pastor recently started being aired on local radio here in jersey, and you can listen online: http://larryboy.nycradio.com/~mp3/podPLUS/index_file.htmlor i'd be happy to send you cd's you can play under your counter =) let me know - i'm totally hoping you stick to your no-tv thing!!

I'm a big music nerd. I have lots and lots and love sharing good stuff I find. I suggest Deathcab for Cutie, The Black Keys, Ben Gibbard, She and Him, Jenny and Johnny, Rilo Kiley, The Freelance Whales, Metric, The National, Blind Pilot, The Stills and Tegan and Sara.

I have all of these albums and if you'd like I can email you the mp3s in a zip file :)

YES! We did this too. I have not blogged about it yet. I guess b/c I just dont know what we are going to do. I know we have more family time. Its been nice. Really it has. Bitter sweet at first, now we are just used to it. We only watch if we watch movies. Its been about 4 months now. Yay for you guys!

I've been without cable for almost...10 years. I don't miss it at all! We have the public channels (yes, you can still get NBC, ABC, CBS AND PBS) and a roku so we can watch movies (Netflix for $17 a month) but really we don't keep it on. I agree with you that there are so many more fulfilling things to do than watch TV. So much time gets wasted!

I wish I could help you out with recipes but we're not very creative around here.

Music: abra Moore, Beth Orton, Brett dennen, Jeremy fisherrecipe: I doubled it for the six of us and we had plenty of leftovers. Put 4 chicken breasts in crockpot. Add 1.5-2 cups of your favorite salsa ( we used chipotle and Mango/peach), a drained can of corn, a rinsed can of black beans. Cook on low for 6 hrs. Shred chicken and serve on tortillas with cheese and any other toppings.

when my husband and i got married we just never got a tv. it really has been a blessing, i totally second the quietness as the biggest plus. sometimes i like the sounds of 'life' to fill our home, even if it is craziness.

my music suggestion isn't anything groundbreaking, but i always love jack johnson. he has a new album called 'to the sea' that is pretty. he is my mellow, background music of choice. then, when i want to dance and belt it out, i always turn up stevie wonder :)

how cool is it that your library lets you check out cds?! especially neat, modern artists.

i always make a big batch of chili when i'm bringing a meal. and some cornbread, too.

Haven't gotten to the point of cutting cable entirely, but we ditched HBO last summer, and I havn't missed it.

We go to the library for movies and I think that forces us to make better choices rather than watching a crap movie just because we had paid for it with HBO. And every since we got DVR I have found myself watching less tv because I don't mindlessly watch anymore. I also turn it off more willingly because I'm not held to when a show is on; I watch when I want to. The ability to fast forward commercials is heavenly.

I love the moments with no TV on, however, my husband is a news and sports junkie, so we keep the TV and cable.

As for recipes, I usually don't follow recipes, or I get an idea of what to do for recipes, and just kind of sort of follow along. For some reason (maybe it's my lack of REAL cooking skills) stuff seems to turn out better. One thing that always makes a HUGE amount, not matter how hard I try to make smaller amounts, is Beef Stroganoff. Another is Chicken and Rice Casserole in the crock pot. If you want to know what I do for them you can email me.

Oh, and music? I love Beastie Boys as well. In fact, we were just listening to them last night while I was doing some sewing. I have just about anything and everything on my iTunes. Favorites right now are Paramore, and Tom Petty.

As I read this, I thought of my childhood. We did not have tv until I was 5. It was great, I believe it encouraged us to have an imagination and play out doors more often. My sis and I are both very creative people and I think the no tv contributed.Way to Go! Your children will thank you later.

I just made a big batch of Tater Tot Cassarole on Tuesday and took some to my grandma, we had it for leftovers the rest of the week...and there are just 2 of us so it should be plenty for your family and gparents! Let me know if you want the recipe.

Good for you getting rid of TV! We only have basic cable, so we only get the 5 main channels. Last summer we took a TV break for a few weeks. I felt like the kids were watching too much. It was delightful. They do watch it some now, but not every day.

I would get rid of it entirely if I weren't so selfish. I do love me some TV. But I never turn it on during the day. I often will watch a show or two after the kids go to bed at night. We have a Roku and a DVR so I watch on my own schedule, and only the shows I really care enough about to bother recording.

I like that I never have to rush to get to the TV at a certain time. I feel like the DVR allows me to enjoy it without being ruled by it. I would never watch TV on the computer. I want to be able to hunker down on the couch and sit back and relax.

MUSIC? Hmmmm. I'm kind of out of the music scene at the moment. I only know what I have on my running playlist, lol.

The TV is one thing that I wish I could get rid of. My husband and I are on separate pages with that and most days if it is on here its because I have left the weather channel after he leaves for work.

I miss my grandparents. When they were alive and I would come back to Ohio to visit I would always bring them a meal and it was oh so nice. A favorite was my Fake Swedish Meatballs (which freezes nicely too!), Lasagna without having to boil the noodles, Impossibly Easy Cheeseburger pie, and Grandma's Easy Chicken. Let me know if you want any of these recipes.

We cancelled our satellite in August 2009. 15 months so far and we've survived! We can still get local channels on our TV. It's HD, so it has the converter thingie built in, but we still have to use an antennae to get them in clearly.

We have about 4 shows we watch via TV networks. That's it. We have a Netflix subscription, plus video games, so we still get some screen time. The kids can only play video games on the weekends.

Music: Broken Bells, Faded Paper Figures, old Duran Duran, The Myriad, and you can never go wrong with some Patsy Cline or Glenn Miller.

Food: Do they have a crockpot? Go over in the morning and load it up. They'll love the yummy scents building through the day.

The only reason we have television is because it's included in our rent. Before moving, all we had was local channels for 5 years. I do find myself watching television, but I don't know when anything is on, so it's hit or miss.

Oh My Goodness...Do I have a favorite comfort food/easily transportable/easily doubled recipe...Tuna Casserole...I know what you are thinking, but I totally re-vamped the recipe to make it healthy, and it's really delicious...I promise.

So first you need to set your oven @ 350 degrees.

Next I slice up a yellow onion, 2 small potatoes and about 1lb of cauliflower, which I then simmer with about 3 cups of free-range chicken broth (you could totally use veggie broth if you prefer) until tender.

I also start boiling about 4 quarts of water, in which I will cook a full package of brown rice pasta, for about 10 minutes. (I prefer spirals, I don't know why...)

While those are cooking I toast four slices of bread (I use Gluten Free, because my partner is allergic to gluten) which I leave in the toaster until they stop steaming. Then I cube them and toss them into my VitaMix (fancy blender) and chop until course. To the finished crumbs, I add about 1 teaspoon Lemon Pepper. Set aside.

When the veggies are tender, I puree them with their broth, in small batches until smooth (This is the sauce, which replaces the 'good ole Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup of Yesteryear...)

When the pasta is tender, drain it, put it back into the pan it cooked in and toss in a small bag of frozen peas. Open your can of Tuna (in water) and throw the whole thing in, water and all. Now pour in some of your soup, mix together, adding more soup until very moist (but not soupy...if that makes sense.) I usually don't use quite all of the soup I have made, so I just put the extra in a jar in the fridge for quick lunches later.

Good for you for getting rid of the cable! We've been TV-free for ... 5 years now? And haven't missed it a bit. We looked at the expense and decided we'd rather sponsor another child through World Vision than watch our three tv shows per week. Best decision ever.

Years ago we stashed our tv in a corner of a room upstairs instead of in the livingroom, and it has been a great move for us. It's rarely on and we do much more music-listening with plenty of youtube/hulu watching spliced in.

The library is a great place to check out new music! Mike Doughty for sure. All of his albums. Vampire Weekend. Arcade Fire. Weezer. There's my suggestions for the week.

Love the photos of G&I with your grandparents, even though they're blurry. They're still really great shots.

I just had lunch with my aunt. On the drive back to her house I took her past a house that has chickens and bees in the yard, by a huge garden, a picnic table and tons of lanterns strung through the trees that shade piles of wood for their fireplace. It's a regular city lot. I admire how their yard is such evidence of really LIVING.

Oh! Almost forgot: pasta bake is a great sharing meal. Just make a few casserole dishes full all at once. Super easy and super yummy, and who doesn't like pasta with sauce covered in 3 or 4 different ooey gooey cheeses?

Food idea: Shepherd's pie. You can pack lots of veggies into it, too -- carrots, peas, corn -- so it doesn't have to be just a "meat and potatoes" dish.

Music suggestions: a little while ago someone turned me onto Girlyman. I love their harmonies. I've only heard there "Everything's Easy" album, but think I need to sample more. Also, the soundtrack for De-Lovely is chock full of great musicians doing fantastic interpretations of Cole Porter tunes. One of my favs.

I haven't visited your blog in a while (sorry!) but was pleased to read about the giving up of cable in your home. We just canceled ours last week (we only had the basic 10 channels anyway) and it has been quieter here too. And we're saving $$!

Thanks for your post, and perhaps making up a batch of mac and cheese in the crockpot for them, along with a nice salad?

We have a go-to pasta dish we love. Here's the recipe - sort of. I have to pull it from memory, but since you seem able to wing it, here goes:

-You need about half a boneless, skinless chicken breast per person, give or take. Cut into 1" pieces.-broccoli, fresh or frozen. About 1/2 c. per person. Ish.-1 or 2 large carrots, sliced. -Fresh garlic, pressed, to taste.-Basil to taste-Chicken broth or water, about 1/3 to 1/2 cup, depending on how much you make.-Grated parmesan cheese, about 1/4 cup, or to taste -EVOO

-Enough angel hair pasta to feed however many people you're cooking for

1) Heat a little EVOO in a large skillet, cook chicken until done and golden brown. Drain on paper towels, set aside.2) Add a smidge more EVOO to the hot pan, add carrots. Stir-fry a minute or two, then add broccoli & garlic. Cook another minute or two.3)Start water for pasta, and cook according to package directions.4)Add chicken, broth or water, basil, and parmesan to vegetables, and stir. Cover with a lid, and let veggies steam to taste, and chicken is heated through.5) Serve as a topping to the pasta, and sprinkle with more parmesan, if you like.

Our whole family loves this, and it's really easy to make a big batch. Plus, you don't really NEED a side with it. If we do a side, it's usually bread or a very simple salad.

Good for you on the tv. I started seriously cutting back about a year ago, and it's been progressively more and more with the kids. The one thing I noticed is attention span, their's was so much better without the distraction which in turn kept my patience more in check. What a win-win situation. Now it's really only a treat thing instead of a necessity..... And really, should it ever be looked at it that way? I certainly don't want my kids thinking that way.

Recipes.... I know I've got quite a few but my totally go-to is the Paula Deen chicken and wild rice casserole. I substitue pemintos for a sautéed red bell pepper and also use cream of broccoli instead of what she uses. It's seriously yum! When I think of more I can email them to ya.

We are a no cable house too. It's lovely. When the tv is on it's usually a favorite movie or DVD of a favorite show, so everyone enjoys it and it's just overall pleasant.

As for meals...I didn't read all the comments so this might be repeated, but I love making lasagna to take to people. Also chile con carne (mexican version of chili), rice with stirfry, umm those are all I can think of now!

You have to check out Butterfly Boucher. I just love her, her music is poignant and juicy and just plain awesome.

I have zilch for recipes I struggle with cooking every single day here...I do make some killer stuffed shells. Relatively easy and everyone loves it...as for anything fun and creative and fresh--mm not so much. Working on that

But music I am digging Gary Jules and Florence & The Machine, I could list a dozen more...I listen to music in the kitchen while I piddle around the house every single day. It's my happy place, turning on the iPod.

I haven't been able to comment- things have been busy. but I've been keeping up with your posts while nursing the girl. so ready for the longest comment ever??first- my new friend here just made hand-smashed guacamole and left the pits in with the guacamole- craziness! it looked cool and it's supposed to slow the oxidation.um, I can't think of a recipe worth recommending that doesn't involve beans. beans don't seem grandparent-friendly.but music! we love it in this house. I think you've mentioned that you listen to some of my faves. (like the uglysuit and band of horses?) I love the Avett Brothers. Frightened Rabbit, The Tallest Man on Earth, Neko Case. all pretty different, but love how I feel when I hear them :) also starting to love The Love Language. also about where your heart and mind are going- just know, that yes, I'm right there with you. and I know you'll find the words- you're so very good at it. and I hope you share them, because I think you have the ability to encourage change-for-the-better in a lot of people.have a wonderful weekend friend!

We canceled our cable a little over a year and man, we have so much more time for each. My marriage is better and I have time to do things that I care about. We have netflix and watch tv on the streaming option sometimes but overall we are watching a ton less tv.

We do not have a TV in our house, and not having a TV has helped us redefine healthy leisure time. Instead of turning to a TV for stimulation, we have learned to entertain ourselves (a lost art)... or just to truly relax (also a lost art).

These days we spend more time reading. Journaling. Listing to (and making) music. Cooking together. Reflecting. Exercising. Playing with the dogs. Interacting with one another. Gardening. Enjoying old-time radio programs. And much more.

Don't get me wrong. I love watching House on my laptop while I fold laundry. And we sometimes curl up on the couch or in the bed with a flick. But having a TV stationed permanently in the living room is like having a candy dispenser on your fridge! If it's there and available constantly, we'll be tempted to indulge in the junk stuff even though there are more satisfying and enriching "snacks" in our pantry.

If we ever do get a TV, we've agreed that it will 1) not be on display and 2) it will be treated just like any junk food... as a "sometimes treat."

I was just thinking about this today. We cut cable 2 years ago when we moved. We don't have rabbit ears but we do get local digital channels through our DVD player. But our TV is in the basement, which is the kids play area and in the winter it's cold and it's always messy.

Two weeks ago we redid our office. It's warm and inviting with a comfy chair and nice desk. I find we are all gathering in here at night, reading, writing, drawing. It started just as time. There is not time for the kids to watch TV with our new school schedule (well the youngest has some). But I am finding that the less we watch it, the less I want to watch it, it's freeing. And your right, anything I WANT to see, is mostly available online, usually shorter with fewer commercials!